Hoists may be used to apply pulling force through a cable or other lifting medium to a load. Hoists may typically have a hook at the end of a line that is attachable to the load. During operation, a hook may occasionally be exposed to loads in excess of the normal operating loads. Excessive tension in the cable and the hook assembly may cause excessive wear to the hoist system. However, current overload detection systems for rescue hoists are limited. In particular, detecting loads and overload conditions experienced at the hook may be difficult and inaccurate as electrical systems at the hook may be exposed to severe environmental conditions, which prevent an electrically based system from operating properly and limited in duration when dependent upon battery power. In many instances, a pilot may simply estimate when a hoist system has been overloaded during operation.